The Importance of Dependability by Cindy Stradling CSP, CPC

As a business person, a good reputation is critical. One of the most important characteristics of a good leader is that they are dependable. Different people in your life depend on you for different things. Here are some things to consider as you look at how others can look to you to be dependable.

• Your employees – Your employees look to you for a source of income, so it is important that they can depend on you to take care of all human resources responsibilities in a timely fashion and in a way that is in their best interest. They should also be able to depend on you to be up front with them about the state of the business, and how it affects them.

• Your customers – Your customers rely on you to provide the product or service they expect. They expect you to be available when you are needed, and to provide a quality product or service at a fair price. They may also depend on you to give them advice in your field of expertise.

• Your business relationships – Your vendors, subcontractors and other business partners depend on you too. They look to you to treat them fairly and honestly and to keep your word. In many cases, their business may depend on how you and others like you conduct your business.

As you consider each of these business relationships and how each looks to you to be reliable, it is easy to see how a loss of trust in any of these relationships can be detrimental to both parties. When your employees, for example, find you untrustworthy, they may leave your employment. This can create a hardship for them, of course, but will likely create a hardship for you, as well, since you will have lost their expertise and all the time and money you invested in training them. Each of your relationships contributes to your personal and professional success, so take care to ensure that those people can depend on you.